 Small business owners agree that, like a marriage, partnerships work best when both parties come out further ahead than when they worked on their own. With PAWS for Charity, four enterprising women ensure that pet owners, pets and the breast cancer research division of Canadian Cancer Society all benefit—as well as themselves.
It started with a dog treat
The brainchild of The Barking Biscuit Company’s Sara Harley, it all began with Crunch for a Cure. Creating all-natural handmade dog treats was a switch after nearly two decades in banking, but just a few years after her start-up, Harley won an award for Most Innovative Business in Ontario. Because breast cancer had taken her mother, and after a scare with a lump in her own breast that was thankfully benign, Harley introduced Crunch for a Cure cookies, donating 25% of proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society. She thought a group of like-minded businesswomen could help each other.
Suzanne Bird, otherwise known as the Urban Dog Photog, took photos for Harley’s cookies and that was how they came together at the start. She says, “I know that each of us has a specific person that we have joined and raised money for. I have many family members that have dealt with cancer.” With Bird’s experience in media, she was able to provide visual designs and media contacts to help the group get noticed and garner more support and sales for their charity products.
Julie Kelly makes specialty hard-to-find-sized coats for Chilly Dogs and she’d always wanted to create and donate for a good cause. Her friend Char Harding, of Around the Hounds, designed nifty canine collars and felt staggered by the increase of breast cancer occurrences, so she also wanted to contribute. “We all decided together that we would have more impact as a group project than individually,” Kelly says.
Common goal, unique rewards
Not many partnerships can say they would change nothing about their ventures, but the experience of learning, growing and fundraising together has happily impacted all four businesses.
“We all have different talents,” Harley says. “This has been a collaborative effort from the start… I think that we are stronger together than if we were working independently. The creative juices really start to flow when you've got several people building off each other's thoughts.”
Having a unified goal makes the partnership work, but added benefits of working together are growth for each businesswoman, networking, merged markets and skills learned from the strengths of each participant.
Char Harding says, “I have always believed in surrounding myself with people I admire and respect as well as people who encourage and support my efforts. I have immense respect for all three ladies and just being around them encourages me to bump up my game to really expand my business possibilities.” Though many businesses still operate under old competition models, more and more enterprises are seeing value in cooperation and friendship. “I think friendship is the first element that makes this partnership work, and secondly, the fact that we all have businesses that complement one another and are not competing,” Harding continues. “Finally, I think we all have a healthy respect for each other's talent and commitment to our individual businesses.”
All four agree. “I don't see it as ‘four bosses,'” says Bird. ”I see this group as four strong, talented women in business combining their talents and business savvy to a great cause.”
Businesses’ best friend
Sara Harley says the partnership is one of the best things that ever happened to her business. “Because we're working together towards a common goal, I have learned much more from these three women than I've learned from any of the networking groups I've belonged to. When you've been in business for nine years, as I have, it's great to get together with a group of entrepreneurs and learn from their experiences. It gives me a fresh outlook on a lot of things and gets me re-inspired every time we meet. The fact that we're raising funds for charity makes it extra special.”
PAWS for Charity originally thought they would choose a different charity every year but stayed with breast cancer research. They may branch out next year, but each feels that making a contribution to such an emotional cause has been exhilarating. You can help by treating Sparky to healthy snacks, a stylish blue or pink fleece coat, a special photo session or the hippest collar in town. Then, spreading the word will just be a matter of a walk in the park.
The four PAWS for Charity businesses are:
Around the Hounds urban dogwear
Char Harding designs distinctive, custom Martingale and Buckle collars for the discriminating hound. A happy perfectionist, Char makes every collar using the finest material from around the world. Motifs of every kind will suit your pooch's favourite themes—from skull and crossbones to holiday cheer. Designer leashes are also available. www.aroundthehounds.com
Chilly Dogs
Julie Kelly designs outdoor gear for active dogs of all shapes and sizes. High quality materials hold up in rainy or snowy climates, and they're stylish too! Julie's website has a very detailed dog-fitting room to help you order exactly the right sizes, with diagrams of different size types to show you how to do it. There are coats galore and even head muffs for cropped breeds or cold doggie ears! www.chillydogs.ca
Sue Bird, Photographer
Let Sue Bird perfectly capture your best friend's “petsonality.” Her gorgeous photographs have appeared in magazines like Dogs in Canada and in her upcoming perPETual calendar. Sue's background is in photojournalism and she was just nominated for a National Magazine Award for a portrait, so a photo session truly makes Lucky one lucky dog! www.photobysuebird.com
The Barking Biscuit Company
Sparky's mouth will water for Sara Harley's homemade natural crunchies. These healthy gourmet snacks come in yummy flavours like cranberry, Parmesan cheese and peanut butter goodness. The Barking Biscuit Company has been featured in Canadian Living, Jane, Dogs in Canada, Style at Home and many TV shows. You can order online or check the site for a list of stores in your
neighbourhood. www.barkingbiscuit.com
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